Lakewood Ranch Walmart Associates Welcome Customers to New Store

BRADENTON, Fla., March 29, 2012 – A new Walmart opens next month in Bradenton, bringing 285 new jobs, savings for local shoppers and an increase in tax revenue to support the area’s economy. Nonprofit organizations will also benefit from the retailer’s ongoing charitable contributions and support for community projects. The Lakewood Ranch Walmart, located at 5810 Ranch Lake Blvd., will be open to customers at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 11.

Economic Impact Includes 285 New Jobs

The new Lakewood Ranch Walmart will employ approximately 285 associates, according to store manager Glen Goodfellow. Goodfellow began his Walmart career in1998 as a cart pusher at a store in Venice, Fla. Several associates have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years and come from nearby stores.

Store Designed to Improve Customer Experience

In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores, such as the Lakewood Ranch Walmart, with fast service, a friendly shopping experience and clean stores.

The new Walmart features enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Walmart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently. The pharmacy, for example, is adjacent to health and beauty making it easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their everyday needs.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said Goodfellow. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase, including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

A bright interior color palette creates an inviting shopping experience and helps define the store’s merchandise areas. Lower shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly. Walmart also combined the customer service desk and Site-to-Store pick-up location in one area near the entrance. Customers now have easy access to these services, as well as associates on hand to help meet their needs.

Community Organizations Benefit from Grants

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration and throughout the year. Organizations receiving grants during the grand opening all provide support to the Bradenton community.

Store Design Incorporates Environmentally Friendly Features

The Lakewood Ranch Walmart, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. The store’s skylights harvest daylight and reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting in the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

The cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms. The new store also operates a recycling program and will promote sustainable product purchases.

Ribbon-Cutting Celebration 7 a.m., April 11

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7 a.m., Wednesday, April 11, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

About Walmart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 10,000 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://walmartstores.com, and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.

Employment

Store plans to employ approximately 285 associates

The average wage at Walmart for full-time hourly associates in Florida is approximately $12.47 per hour*

Walmart’s benefit program is available to eligible full- and part-time associates and provides a variety of affordable health and well-being benefits including medical insurance with no lifetime maximum. Walmart also offers matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise for store associates, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.